This disclosure relates to an automated process for sewing a mop head intermediate and a finished mop head and the products thereof. Specifically, the present process uses a number of overlapping panels of fabric to create pockets into which any of a variety of mop handle assemblies may be inserted. The automated process results in increased production consistency, improved fabric utilization, and decreased production times.
Conventional mops are formed from string and are secured to the mop handle in a permanent manner. Because this configuration presented some problems (such as laundering of the mop head and the relative lack of durability of the mop head as compared to the mop handle), mop producers began to produce mop heads and handle assemblies separately from one another. As a result, attachment means were developed to secure the mop head to the mop handle for cleaning purposes, while also allowing cleaning or replacement of the mop head itself. Some of these attachment means include fabric ties, hook and loop fasteners (i.e., Velcro(copyright)), snaps, and the like.
The separate mop handle assemblies themselves are often T-shaped, with the vertical part of the T comprising the handle portion held by the user and the horizontal part of the T comprising a cross-member that is attached to the mop head. There are primarily three types of mop handle assemblies: a break-away assembly, in which the cross-member is separate from the mop handle and collapses into a V-shape to facilitate attachment to the mop head; a spring-loaded assembly, which has an attached handle and a cross-member that collapses into a V-shape; and an xe2x80x9cenvelopexe2x80x9d-style assembly, in which the cross-member is removed from the mop handle prior to attachment to the mop head. In the envelope-style assembly, the mop head is attached to the cross-member and the cross-member is then attached to the mop handle.
The present process is directed specifically to fringe mops. These mop heads have a floor side comprised of a tufted (or xe2x80x9cfringedxe2x80x9d) substrate and a face side to which a mop handle is attached. In most circumstances, fringe mop heads have fringe around the perimeter of the mop head and, in some cases, several pockets on the face side (that is, the side viewed by the user during the mopping process). The pockets provide means to attach a mop handle assembly to the mop head, by providing a space into which the respective ends of the mop handle""s cross-member may be inserted. In many instances (as described above), the cross-member itself is collapsible to facilitate insertion into the mop head""s pockets.
While these pockets are functionally useful, their creation has been problematic for mop head manufacturers. The manufacturer is forced to cut each piece of fabric used to create the pockets into appropriately sized individual units. Each individual fabric unit must be placed onto a predetermined location on the face side of the mop head. Each individual fabric unit must be sewn to the mop head. Finally, each mop head must be finished by sewing a strip of fringe to the perimeter of the mop head.
The center panel must be tacked to the mop head to prevent a mop handle from passing between the panel and the mop head. This is particularly a problem with the envelope-style handle assemblies discussed above. If the mop handle""s cross-member passes beneath the center panel, then the attachment means used to connect the cross-member and the vertical member of the mop handle assembly is obstructed, rendering the mop handle assembly unusable without re-inserting the mop handle into the mop head.
The present process addresses several shortcomings of the conventional method. First, the present process automates the cutting and the sewing processes, producing greater consistency in manufacturing and in the final product. Secondly, the present process also reduces the amount of fabric that must be used and the amount of time that is required to produce a sewn mop head.
The present process automates the cutting and sewing of pockets to the face side of a mop head, thereby creating a mop head intermediate product to which a perimeter strip of fringe may be attached to produce a finished mop head. The finished mop head is suitable for use with break-away, spring-loaded, and envelope-style handle assemblies. By automating the cutting and sewing of the mop head pockets, fabric and time utilization are decreased on a per-unit basis. In addition, greater consistency between individual mop head units is also created.